Peavey shuns other suitors

Rafe Peavey was going to take some additional visits. Rafe Peavey was going to look around. Rafe Peavey was going to weigh his options. Rafe Peavey was going to listen to other pitches from other coaches.

Then, something changed. The four-star quarterback can't pinpoint exactly what that was. If he can, he certainly doesn't articulate it very well. Sometimes it's just a feeling.

And when the Arkansas commit woke up on Friday morning with the intention of visiting Ohio State, that feeling told him to drive in the complete opposite direction.

Peavey followed its advice.

"We were planning on going to Ohio State on Friday and planning on meeting with Coach [/db]Urban Meyer[/db]," Peavey said. "But Friday morning, I woke up and realized I just wanted to go talk to coach [Bret] Bielema (at Arkansas). So me and my dad went down to Fayetteville instead. They made me feel super wanted and it was awesome. Now I can put all this recruiting behind me and focus on my senior season."

The snap decision gave many in Fayetteville a reason to rejoice. Coaches in Buckeye Country, however, were a bit less enthused. Peavey doesn't try to pretend that his last-minute change of heart went over well in Ohio. When he called to alert Ohio State that he would be skipping his trip, he got what he expected.

"Uh, they weren't too happy about it at all," Peavy said. "But I guess they kind of had understood my situation a little."

That phone call, difficult as it might have been, signaled the end of Peavy's recruitment. The Bolivar (mo.) High School standout says there will be no more visits and no looking around. He says he's finished. He says he's solid.

He also doesn't mind breaking down all the reasons why. Peavey will list those until somebody cuts him off.

"Everyone has so much energy at Arkansas," he said. "And the chemistry among the coaches, and all the players. I mean, Coach [Sam] Pittman is, like, the best O-line coach in the country. I think his quarterback got sacked, like, eight times last year. And maybe 11 times total the year before. I know I'm going to have a great O-line in front of me there. That, and then talking with Coach Bielema is awesome. He has an open-door policy. He's a head coach you can just talk with. Some head coaches don't connect with their players very well. He's not like that. He's one of the guys. And the, the quarterback coach, Coach [Jim] Chaney- I know he will get me prepared for the next level …"

When Peavey's interest in other schools melted away, so too did his stress. Ask the senior-to-be about his mindset, and he doesn't mince words. According to him, Friday night was the most relaxed he's felt in months.

He doesn't plan on regressing.

"On the way home, it felt like 5,00 pounds was lifted from my shoulders," Peavey said. "It was a pretty good feeling."